When The Heartache Ends
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: After finding out what Ashley wouldn't tell her, Amanda doesn't view her in the same perspective she once did. Can the two find a way to fix their fragile sisterly bond or is it gone forever? (Co-written with werewolf-queen-022)
1. A Late Night Call

_**September 23rd 2015… **_

_Grabbing her ringing LG G Stylo, Amanda rubbed her eyes as she was barely awake._

_"TJ? What's going on, you okay?" Amanda asked._

"_I need to speak to you alone and when I say alone, I mean fucking alone. Don't bring that boy that follows you around like a lost puppy." TJ whispered._

_"Okay, where are you?" Amanda questioned as she got up, Finn opening his eyes. "I'll be right back, I promise." She whispered, Finn closing his eyes._

"_Not right now! My place and now." TJ whispered before hanging up._

_Amanda quickly got into clothes, grabbing her phone and the keys and leaving… and TJ letting her in, his eyebrows raising at seeing the purple toned dark circles under her eyes._

_"When was the last time you had a full night's sleep?" TJ asked._

_"I honestly can't remember. What's going on, why the secrecy? And Finn does not follow me around like a lost puppy." Amanda replied._

_"You two are too comfortable around each other." TJ responded._

_"What happened? Is Ash in trouble?" Amanda questioned._

"_That's exactly who I am worried about." TJ said._

_"Well fill me in on what's going on, please? Because I haven't heard from her since last year." Amanda replied._

_"She had a baby, gave him up for adoption and has been depressed. Then earlier, she came back home and acted fine." TJ explained._

_"She had a child?" Amanda responded in shock, the two sitting down._

"_Well she was planning to have an abortion but changed her mind at the last minute." TJ confessed._

_"You said it was a boy… did she name him?" Amanda questioned._

"_She had him for two weeks before he was adopted, his name was Rhys." TJ said._

_"And no one else knew…" Amanda responded, TJ lightly rubbing her back. "Got anything for me to break?" She asked, TJ handing her a vase that he hated… and she stood up and threw it, the vase hitting the wall and the two ducking as the ceramic flew everywhere._

"_Look Tiny it was nothing personal, she wanted to tell you and her family. But she didn't want Kyle finding out about Rhys." TJ replied. "They're not even listed as the birth parents on his certificate." _

_"None of us would've told him, she knows that." Amanda responded before she stood up and headed outside, TJ following her._

"_Tiny, wait up. Look I get it, you're hurting but right now I'm very worried about how Ashley is mentally. She has been quite depressed about giving Rhys up, last night she gone most of the night and this morning she was all happy chappy." TJ replied._

_"Then get her to talk to someone who knows how to help her." Amanda responded as she got in the silver Altima and drove off after buckling up, TJ seeing a half awake Bo walk outside._

"_Motherfucker!" TJ yelled before kicking over a silver trash can._

_"Why did Tiny leave like her mind's been fucked with, TJ?" Bo replied._

_"I told her everything, Bo." TJ admitted._

"_You told her?!" Bo asked._

_"Now she's madder than hell, knowing that she's got a nephew out there she'll never get to bond with." TJ responded._

_The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks played on the radio as Amanda drove back through the storm that had blown in._

_She parked the car in the garage and turned the engine off, locking up the car after grabbing her phone and keys and going into the house… and sitting down on the bottom of the staircase, letting her tears fall._

_"You could've said something, I wouldn't have told that abusive bastard! Damn it, Ash!" Amanda responded quietly._

_She felt Finn's hands on her shoulders and leaned against him as he held her before he picked her up into his arms and took her upstairs into their room._

_Amanda got back into her pajamas and explained everything, Finn pulling her into his arms and the two holding each other._

_"Nothing personal… when it involves family, everything's personal! And I know what she's gonna say, that I'm not tough like her! She had every chance to tell me, Jeff, Matt and she kept her mouth shut to us!" Amanda responded, Finn rubbing her back._

_"Don't keep it all in anymore, I'm right here and I'm not leaving your side, Darlin'." Finn replied softly._

_"All I want right now is to just be held." Amanda responded once they were in their bed, Finn holding her in his arms._

_Her eyes closed, Finn kissing her forehead before closing his own eyes…_

**Present time…**

TJ and Bo tried to open the window that led to the living room in the townhouse but found it locked… and found a note in Finn's handwriting on the garage door.

_'We're at the Performance Center, clearing our minds. Let us be.'_

"Damn… she couldn't keep it bottled up after I told her." TJ responded.

_Daze _by Poets Of The Fall played through Amanda's earbuds as she was on the Body-Solid Leverage Leg Curl LVLC machine in the weight room, continuing with her workout… and Seth turned to Ashley.

"She's tuned everything out again." Ashley replied quietly.

"Last time she had that look in her eyes, she wouldn't speak to me unless it was about something that was work related. She still won't talk to me much… I'd hate to think of what she did to whoever pissed her off this time around." Seth responded.

Amanda got up from the machine after her workout, Finn helping her stretch her limbs after Amanda closed Spotify out and put her phone and earbuds in her gym bag… and Ashley noticed that Amanda didn't have her oversized _Team Xtreme _tank top on, a _Balor Club_ one in its place along with loose fitting black shorts.

"They're watching." Finn whispered.

"Let them. They can make their judgments about us all they want, I'm done caring." Amanda responded flatly as they got in the ring to practice for their tag team match set for the next NXT taping, Ashley raising her eyebrows after she had heard what Amanda had said.

And she realised what Amanda knew.


	2. No Locking It Away Now

Ashley stormed into the Victorian style house, slamming the door and scaring TJ and Bo.

"You sons of bitches! You fucking squealed on me?!" Ashley demanded.

"It was TJ!" Bo exclaimed.

"Thanks for throwing me under the bus asshole!" TJ muttered.

"Did Mandy react at all towards you?" Bo asked.

"She's completely distanced herself from me!" Ashley yelled.

"Damn, that's worse than fighting." TJ replied.

"Not as bad as your face is gonna be when I'm done with it!" Ashley responded before punching TJ.

"I freaked out, alright?! You've been depressed for months and then all of a sudden, you're back to being happy!" TJ replied angrily.

"Not to mention you disappeared for nearly a whole night." Bo responded.

"Whatever happened that night is none of your damn business." Ashley said before leaving.

She reached the townhouse, knocking on the door in an aggravated manner.

"Mandy, open this goddamn door!" Ashley yelled… but when the door opened, she saw Finn.

"Give her some space." Finn replied.

"And who the fuck are you?!" Ashley asked.

"Someone who's been there for her when she tried to reach out to you, only to get yelled at and hung up on! How is that any way to treat a loved one who just wanted to know what went wrong?!" Finn responded as Amanda headed downstairs, her makeup on and her in an oversized white racerback tank top and dark blue yoga leggings.

"Mandy, it wasn't TJ's place to tell you." Ashley replied.

"You should be thankful that you have people who love you so much, who know how to spot the signs when something's wrong." Amanda responded.

"Oh for God's sake is this because of the fact I went from being depressed to being normal?!" Ashley demanded.

"Confiding in someone is a two way street. And yeah, I wouldn't have been able to give up a baby but I would've been there to support you." Amanda replied.

"No you wouldn't have. You would have thought I was a bad person for doing it and then thrown me away like I'm trash." Ashley responded.

"That's only how you view yourself! That's not how everyone who cares about you sees you!" Finn responded, Ashley turning to Amanda.

"Don't look at me, his opinion is his own." Amanda replied.

"No I get it, I'm still a lost cause to you. Maybe I should have died in that coma." Ashley said before leaving.

Amanda slammed and locked the door, Finn wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Be thankful your sister is level headed. Mine twists everything that her loved ones say." Amanda responded, grabbing her phone and seeing a concerned text from Bo.

_'Did she bash you two?! Are you alive?!'_

_'We're alive. I'm still pissed off all to hell but Finn and I are alive and unharmed.' _Amanda responded.

'_Well I wish I could say the same about TJ.' _Bo responded.

_'Broken nose?' _Amanda replied.

'_Yep, it's fucked really badly.' _Bo responded.

Amanda then got a text from Seth, who was unnerved by how distant she was to him and Ashley at the Performance Center.

_'Something happened, what's going on?'_

_'You get the answer from Ashley because I know you won't believe it from me.' _Amanda responded before switching back to Bo. _'Are you and TJ at ORMC? Nathan's an orthopedic specialist, he can help fix TJ's nose.' _She replied.

'_Uh nope we can fix this ourselves, those bastards cost a fortune.' _Bo texted before putting his phone down.

"Okay let's reset your nose." Bo said.

"Maybe we should take Tiny's advice." TJ responded.

"We live in America not Canada. We don't get free healthcare." Bo said.

"Nathan knows what he's doing when resetting a limb! Remember when you improperly reset Mandy's right thumb and it got infected?!" TJ responded as Brigette walked in… and closed the door, running to TJ and checking on him.

"A-ha! I got it!" Bo said before grabbing his jacket.

"You aren't kidnapping him either!" TJ said, Bo putting the jacket down.

"Bo, you need to calm down. And by calm down, I don't mean get stoned." Brigette responded before she left with TJ.

At ORMC, Amanda and Finn met up with them and Amanda and TJ hugged for a few seconds.

"Sorry she clobbered you." Amanda replied before they saw Jeff walk in. "Jeff, did Bo call you?" She asked.

"He didn't make any sense as usual and asked if I could bring him KFC because he couldn't feel his legs." Jeff explained.

"Ash clobbered me because… I confided in Mandy about something Ash had done." TJ responded.

"Did Ash run off with Seth and elope?" Jeff asked.

"Ash had a child and gave him up." Amanda blurted out, Jeff's jaw dropping.

"Tiny we need to zip your lips shut!" TJ said.

"I'm done tap dancing around the truth, she had every chance to tell us what the hell was going on! But no, she pulls the tired out _"You see me as a lost cause!" _excuse!" Amanda responded angrily, Finn lightly rubbing her back.

"How long has she been this stressed out, Finn?" TJ asked.

"Since Seth went off at her about supposedly keeping secrets from him." Finn explained as Rue walked in… and Amanda gave a weary smile before they hugged and her smile faltered, Rue rubbing Amanda's back as she let her tears fall.

"I don't know if I really have a sister anymore…" Amanda responded quietly, Rue kissing her on her forehead before they let go.

"Finn, take her on home and get her to rest. She needs it." Rue replied, Finn and Amanda leaving… and Rue turning to TJ. "Ashley needs to stop going off at everyone." She responded.

"And you should mind your own business." TJ said, before folding his arms.

"I saw him today." Rue replied, TJ unfolding his arms in shock.

"What?" TJ asked.

"My neighbors Alena and Ethan Lockwood adopted him earlier this year. His name's Tyler." Rue explained.

"I thought they would have kept his original name." TJ responded.

"Some adoptive parents don't." Jeff replied.

"Ash never told Mandy, can't blame her for feeling angry about that. Family's supposed to trust each other." Brigette responded.

"For God's sake people she didn't even tell her damn brothers!" TJ said before climbing out of bed. "I called Mandy because I thought she could help my best friend and this is the fucking thanks I get for being the good guy!" He said before leaving.

He reached the parking lot, finding Finn and Amanda.

"Go get your nose fixed, TJ!" Amanda responded, TJ gently gripping onto her right arm.

"Mandy, please, just help her." TJ replied.

"She doesn't want my help, she made that clear." Amanda responded, pulling her arm away. "You want to know what she said earlier? She said _"No you wouldn't have. You would have thought I was a bad person for doing it and then thrown me away like I'm trash."_. That's how someone I've known for 15 years actually sees me!" She retorted, TJ startled by that.

"Why do you think I called you, huh?! Huh?! I could have called Matt, I could have called Jeff- where do you think you're going?!" TJ responded, grabbing onto Amanda's wrist in an aggressive manner and Finn pulling TJ off and putting him in a chokehold.

"Keep your damn hands off her!" Finn replied angrily, throwing TJ to the ground and kicking him repeatedly before Amanda pulled him back and they left.

TJ was pulled up, seeing Brigette.

"Why was Finn so angry?!" Brigette asked.

"Who gives a fuck? I'm going to a bar." TJ said.

He stormed off and Brigette left in the opposite direction.


	3. We Weren't Truly Family

"You okay?" Finn asked once he and Amanda were in the townhouse, Amanda closing the door.

"I should ask you that, you almost caved TJ's ribcage in." Amanda responded as Finn held an ice pack to her bruised wrist. "Finn, he's not violent like Randy was to me or how Kyle was to Ashley. He didn't mean it." She replied before Bo walked downstairs.

"What the hell happened?" Bo asked.

"TJ nearly pulled her arm off. I lost it, put him in a chokehold before I threw him to the ground and kicked him repeatedly." Finn explained, Bo taken aback by that and turning to Amanda… who moved the ice pack off of her wrist and showed him the bruises.

"So now you made Ashley and TJ snap, that's a new record." Bo responded.

"He didn't need to grab her, she and I were just trying to leave." Finn responded, pressing the ice pack back to Amanda's wrist as Bo saw a text from Brigette.

_'How bad?'_

_'Tiny's really shaken up, TJ nearly pulled her arm off.'_ Bo replied.

_'Well keep an eye out for him, he was apparently going to a bar but haven't found him yet.'_ Brigette responded.

"Go hunt him down." Amanda replied, Bo kissing her forehead before he left and Finn grabbed his IPhone 6 and called Rue.

"What happened?!" Rue asked.

"TJ nearly pulled Mandy's arm off. Before you ask, no, I didn't beat him to death but I did hurt him." Finn explained, getting Amanda to sit down.

"How's her arm, can she move it around?" Rue questioned.

"She can, I don't think he broke it." Finn responded.

Amanda checked her phone, seeing an angered text from Ashley about how Finn had hurt TJ.

_'So now that you are all pissed off at me you think it's okay to let your fucktoy bash my best friend?!'_

Amanda sent a picture of her bruised wrist with the text _'Finn was protecting me, TJ could've just let us leave but he didn't!'_.

"Give me that." TJ said before taking Ashley's phone.

_'Yeah we all know what he really is protecting!-TJ.'_

"Nice burn." Ashley said before they high-fived each other and kept drinking.

_'You and her jumped on me for keeping secrets, who the fuck are you two to judge anyone with the secrets you locked away over the years?!'_

TJ and Ashley spit out their beers after that.

"Shady bitch! Shady bitch!" TJ replied.

_'Well there is a difference between secretly fucking someone and protecting your kid from a pyschopath!'_ Ashley responded.

_'Kyle's dead, some reckless driver hit him and cracked his skull!'_

Ashley felt the air leave her lungs after that, TJ feeling his throat go dry.

"Holy shit! Someone killed Kyle?!" TJ replied.

"Who do you think was driving?" Ashley asked.

"It was you?!" TJ exclaimed, Ashley nodding.

"Mandy only knows about his death, not who killed him. I'm no good at keeping secrets." Ashley replied.

"Why did you do it?!" TJ asked.

"I did it for Rhys but afterwards I realised I couldn't have him back anyway. I only had him for two weeks, his adoptive parents have had him for 6 months, it wouldn't be right taking him away from them." Ashley said as a couple tears were running down her face.

TJ held her, letting her cry into his shoulder.

At the townhouse, Finn held Amanda.

"You think she did it? Killed the abusive bastard?" Amanda questioned.

"Honestly I don't think it's very Ashley. If she was to kill him she probably would have stabbed him multiple times in the face and then fed him to sharks." Finn replied.

"Hit and run is showing too much mercy. Maybe it really was someone just driving back home, it was dark when the accident happened. Even with car lights on, a driver can only see so much at night." Amanda responded.

"But Ashley could have done it, Kyle abused her for a year and made her give up her kid for his safety." Bo replied.

"She won't get her son back… and when he's older, he might find her and ask why she gave him up." Amanda responded.

"She will tell him the truth about why she did. You should have seen her the day they came and pick Rhys up, it broke her heart to let him go. She sat at the door and cried for 20 minutes after they left with him." Bo replied.

"She did what she felt was right, protecting him." Amanda replied, finishing her whiskey before she poured some more whiskey and drank it.

"Does she normally drink like this?" Bo asked.

"Last time she did, it was to drown out the chaos after SummerSlam." Finn responded.

Bo hoped that things would calm down.

_**September 28th 2015…**_

With her kick pads on, Amanda heard the door open and saw Dakota walk in.

"Hey. The guys ready?" Amanda replied.

"Yeah they are." Dakota responded.

"Good. Let's get this match over with." Amanda replied, Dakota seeing that she had fingerless gloves on… and knew that the right one hid bruises.

"Mandy, did Seth grab you again?" Dakota asked.

"TJ did. Finn didn't let him get away with it either." Amanda responded, Dakota nodding in approval of Finn's reaction.

As the 5 on 5 mixed tag team match progressed, Amanda guarded her wrist away from Ashley and dropkicked her… and Ashley pulled herself up with a stumble, tagging Seth in.

Luke tagged himself in as Amanda got back onto the apron.

"She's drunk." Amanda whispered, Finn noticing that Ashley's eyes were glassed over.

"There's not much we can do." Finn replied quietly.

"Luke, get doc to check her over!" Bryan responded quietly, Luke motioning for Dr. Amann to examine Ashley… and Ashley trying to push him away.

In the backstage area after Luke followed the scripted end of the match and pinned Seth, Seth caught up to Amanda and Finn.

"What happened out there?" Seth questioned.

"What were you thinking, letting her wrestle while she's drunk?!" Finn responded.

"She wasn't that drunk." Seth replied in denial.

"Seth, I know moonshine when I notice that scent, that stuff could kill someone!" Amanda replied.

"Well if you had just had supported her instead of slamming the door in her face then none of this would have happened!" Seth retorted.

"Don't go shoving all the goddamn blame onto Mandy, Ashley intentionally cut her off completely!" Finn responded angrily.

"She did it to protect her kid!" Seth yelled.

"The only threat was Kyle! And he's dead! And good riddance to that psycho bastard!" Amanda shouted before slapping Seth across the face. "That's for being a fucking idiot and jeopardizing your co-workers health by letting her work drunk!" She retorted before she and Finn left, Seth rubbing his jaw.

Seth found Ashley as she was sobering up, Ashley seeing the handprint on Seth's face.

"Mandy's slaps feel similar to your punches." Seth responded after closing the door.

"She's gonna pay for laying hands on my man." Ashley said before she left.

In the _Demon Lovers_ locker room, Finn got Amanda to sit down and he sat down next to her.

"Damn, that felt good. Serves him right for all the times he's mistreated me." Amanda replied as Finn pulled her into his arms and they held each other.

"He'll never treat you like that again. And neither will Ashley… she's stupid enough to stick with Seth, she's only got herself to blame for driving you away. Let it bite her when she realises he doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself." Finn responded.

"It's one thing to act like everything's okay. But every time I get blamed for something Ashley had done, I question whether I mean anything to her at all or if she's lied to me. I realised something I should've realised a long time ago… Ashley Hardy used me and never really saw me as family because family doesn't use someone they claim to love or shove the blame onto them. It's time she took responsibility for her own actions." Amanda replied.

And after that, Amanda felt relief for the first time in a long time.


End file.
